North Yorkshire One Of Worst Counties For Animal Cruelty

Across England and Wales the number of people convicted decreased 11.7% from 1,552 to 1,371 but across the RSPCA’s North of England region the number was up 6.6% at 566 in 2013 compared to 531 in 2012.

RSPCA regional manager Mike Hogg said:

“The figures are usually the highest in the North of England, and of course it’s impossible to say for certain why that is."

“We have a large number of big cities in the region where greater numbers of people typically live. There also tend to be greater levels of poverty and education in these places. Another factor could be that people living in the North are more likely to call the RSPCA if they see something they don’t think is right.”

In the North of England region, the RSPCA investigated 1,763 more complaints in 2013 than in 2012 (38,664 up from 36,901). Across England and Wales the number of complaints investigated rose from 150,833 in 2012 to 153,770 in 2013 (a rise of 2,937).